The ABC?s of metabolism
It?s not rocket science, but knowing these basics about metabolism can help you launch a successful weight loss lifestyle. Let?s start with some basic terms:
Resting Metabolic Rate (RMR): the minimum number of calories your body?s vital organs need just to survive at rest. This accounts for 60-75% of your daily caloric expenditure. RMR varies from person to person and is influenced by such variables as lean body mass, height, weight, sex, age, diet, and stress.
Activity: Whether it be at work, walking to and from the store, or engaging in physical activity this type of work accounts for 20-30% of your daily caloric expenditure.
Digestion: Ironically, each time you eat food you actually burn calories. This type of expenditure accounts for 5-10% of your daily calorie output.
Step 1: Exercise raises your metabolism and therefore helps control your weight.
Considering that your RMR accounts for up to 75% of your daily caloric expenditure wouldn?t it make sense to do things that will increase your RMR?
Aerobic activity and strength training increase the energy demand on your body. This release of energy is referred to as ?burning calories?. Strength training builds lean muscle that in turn burns up to 50x more calories than fat. This is key to long lasting weight control! Therefore, the more lean muscle mass you have, the higher your RMR becomes which in turn burns more calories, even while sitting on the couch.
I like to refer to this as ?passive energy expenditure? meaning that you don?t need to do anything and yet you?re still burning calories. Wouldn?t that be great? Simply put in a bit of hard work up front and then reap the benefit in the long run!
Step 2: Eating more often in smaller amounts helps increase your metabolism.
As previously mentioned, every time you eat your body expends energy to digest and absorb what it has just ingested. This is known as the ?thermogenic effect of food?. Therefore, wouldn?t make sense to eat more often knowing that each time you ate you would actually be burning calories. Typically, it is recommended to eat anywhere from 4-6 small meals throughout the day or 3 larger meals (breakfast, lunch, dinner) with small snacks in between. However, please remember that we?re talking about smaller meals that are healthy, well-balanced, and lower on the glycemic index. Not a burger and fries!
So, here are 2 simple steps you can take immediately to help control your weight. We?re not talking magic pill but if you?re consistent with daily activity and eating frequent small meals you?ll see dramatic weight loss results in a just few weeks!
Go for it. You deserve to look and feel your best!
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Yuri Elkaim, BPHE, CK
Yuri is the owner and founder of Total Wellness Consulting, a leading health, fitness, and wellness company offering health-conscious individuals innovative programs and technologies to help reach their goals of physical and mental well being. He is a highly acclaimed personal trainer, certified kinesiologist, former professional soccer player, and developer of the Y & U Audio Trainer? series, a groundbreaking lineup of MP3 fitness workouts. Visit http://www.totalwellnessconsulting.ca for information on Total Wellness Consulting. | |
